Google quietly polishes Chrome browser

See what's going to be inside version 2

Version 156.1 of the Google Chrome browser is bubbling away in development

If you're a convert to Google's Chrome browser, Google has recently revealed the updates that have made their way into build 156.1 of the code.

Development notes released via the Chromium Developer page show that build 1.56.1 uses a new version of Webkit, the open source code used to render web pages.

Webkit version 528.8 moves beyond the code that powers Safari 3.1, enabling new features such as CSS gradients, CSS canvas drawing, CSS reflections and CSS masks.

Autocomplete and auto scroll

Other improvements to the code base include Form Autocomplete, which enables Google Chrome to remember what you've typed into fields on web pages.

The developers have also buffed up Chrome's zoom functionality. Where pressing CTRL and + previously just increased the size of text on a web page, in version 156.1 this zoom command now scales every element on screen.

An 'auto scroll' function has also been added, which can be enabled by clicking your mouse wheel. Google Chrome will also support bookmark imports from Google Bookmarks. The current version of the browser only supports Internet Explorer and Firefox.

The new Chrome build also features new HTTP network code (for greater stability) and experimental user script support that's similar to Firebox's Grease monkey.

Build 156.1 of Google Chrome is currently only available via Early Access Release Channels. The current version of the browser is still 1.0.154.36 and can be downloaded here.